Each year on 18 July the world celebrates Mandela Day. Many people use the day to take action against poverty and give back to disadvantaged communities. Here is what different faculties and department at UP will be up to on the late Nelson Mandela’s birthday:

Faculty of Health
For Mandela Day 2019, the Faculty will be supporting Employment Solutions for People with Disabilities, a non-profit organisation that facilitates employment related opportunities for persons with a variety of disabilities. They are situated less than 1 km from the Gate 5 entrance to the Prinshof Campus.
 
You are cordially invited to spend your 67 minutes at Employment Solutions for People with Disabilities this year. You will work hand in hand with persons with disabilities in the production line, assisting with assembly, packing, cutting, finishing parts or hand sewing. You will be able to choose where you want to contribute your time.
 
The day is divided into time slots:
8:00 – 10:00
10:00 – 12:00
12:00 – 14:00
You can make a difference by donating your time and/or any of the following goods in kind:
Tea, coffee, rooibos, coffee creamer, long life milk, sugar, vegetable seeds or jam.
Kindly let me know by return email ([email protected]) if you would like to spend 67 minutes at Employment Solutions for People with Disabilities and indicate what time slot you prefer. Space is limited and I need your confirmation no later than Tuesday, 9 July 2019.

Mamelodi Campus
On Mandela Day, 18 July 2019, the Mamelodi Campus, in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) District South Office, will be celebrating its partnership with the GDE, the 20 high schools in and around Mamelodi, and the community by planting trees at the partner schools.
The tree planting event is part of the University celebrating 10 years of the campus offering the University of Pretoria’s flagship Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs). The year-long celebration includes a number of activities culminating in a national colloquium on extended curriculum programmes hosted in partnership with the Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA).

 

Department of Enrolment and Student Administration
Department of Enrolment and Student Administration (DESA) is having a food drive of non-perishable items or stationery, toiletries or sanitary items to support students in need for Mandela Day on 18 June 2019.
DESA has four deputies and each department will collect 67x (or more) items of food, (or stationery, toiletries or sanitary items) to the Pantry which is managed by the department of Student Affairs and the items collected will be distributed to the students by the Department Student Affairs.

 

Department University Relations
From the beginning of July DUR will be doing a perishable food drive leading to Mandela Day for UP students. The department aims to collect at least 6700 food items and finally hand it over to (Department of Student Affairs) DSA.  
The department is extending its invitation to everyone who is willing to donate any food parcels such as Tea, coffee, canned foods, rooibos, coffee creamer, long life milk, sugar to do so by getting in touch with DUR before Mandela Day. 

 

Student Affairs and Residences
Rectorate support staff have launched a Zero Hunger food drive as a Mandela Day 2019 project. We are collecting non-perishable food items to donate to the food pantry for the second semester of 2019. Mandela Day is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world and the ability to make an impact. With this project we hope to do just that, on the basis that charity begins at home.
 
The Rectorate support team have already commenced donating items (67 items each, either individually, through their families or in partnership with colleagues in their offices) to contribute to this project.
 
Vice-Principal, Professor Themba Mosia, extends an invitation to all other Departments in the Administration Building and partners of the Student Life portfolio to join in this collaborative project should you so wish. Please let me ([email protected]) know whether you/your Department/any subdivision in your Department would like to contribute to the project.

 

Items can be collected in your department or brought to the undersigned (as coordinator for the Rectorate) in office 5-5, Administration Building any time between now and 08:00 on 18 July 2019, after which the supply will be brought to the food pantry.

 

Future Africa Campus
In line with Mandela’s visions and in the context of Mandela Day, Future Africa aspires to address this problem by contributing to the education of every child. The Future Africa Mandela Day Book Drive themed: “Read a book for a Child and Educate Every Child” initiative involves:

•  Soliciting donations of books (new or second hand, good condition books) or cash;
•  Reaching out to children aged 6-8 years and reading to them for 67 minutes on Mandela Day;
•  Creating awareness and spreading the word by using #readabookforachild #imaginefutureafrica campaign aiming at promoting the culture of reading for leisure in South Africa;
• To foster a culture of community engagement at Future Africa.
• Seek assistance from the Department for Education Innovation Unit for Community Engagement to identify a school that can be supported by Future Africa and makes the book donations to on a continuous basis. They will provide the consent form to be signed by the parents;
• The poster will be placed at strategic places on the University of Pretoria’s different campuses to collect the book donations. The books will be dropped off in a wheely bin. Identified drop-off locations include;